SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The financial health of corporate pension plans, as indicated by the
aggregate funding ratio of S&P 500 Index company pensions, increased by
nearly five percentage points in fiscal 2017, according to Wilshire
Consulting’s latest survey of 267 companies in the S&P 500 Index that
maintain defined benefit plans. Specifically, the report shows that the
aggregate ratio of pension assets-to-liabilities, or funded ratio, for
S&P 500 companies sponsoring corporate defined benefit pension plans
increased by 4.9% to 85.8% at the end of fiscal 2017 from 80.9% at the
end of fiscal 2016, according to the 2018
Wilshire Consulting Report on Corporate Pension Funding Levels.

“Robust investment returns and contributions drove asset values higher
in 2017,” stated Ned McGuire, Managing Director and a member of the
Pension Risk Solutions Group of Wilshire Consulting. “Wilshire estimates
that aggregate assets increased to $1,433.1 billion as of fiscal year
end 2017, an increase of nearly 6.5% from $1,346.0 billion as of fiscal
year end 2016. Concurrently, contributions increased asset value by
4.48% for the year, almost all coming from plan sponsors.”

“As interest rates fall, companies are forced to lower their discount
rates, thereby increasing the accounting value of total pension
liabilities. The median discount rate decreased by 48 basis points to
3.66% from 4.14%, which is the primary reason for the aggregate
actuarial loss of $92.5 billion. Liabilities, in turn, increased by $5.2
billion, or 0.3%, in 2017,” he added.

Of the plans studied, 17.7% had pension assets that equal or exceed
liabilities as of fiscal year-end 2017, compared to 10.6% at year-end
2016. It’s important to note that at fiscal year-end 2007, five years
into a recovery from the 2000-2002 bear market, 42% of S&P 500 defined
benefit plans were at a fully-funded or surplus status.

The aggregate pension expense for the S&P 500 Index companies in our
study was $25.4 billion for 2017, down from $30.0 billion a year ago.

“The expected rate of return for pension assets has been declining in
recent years,” McGuire commented. “The median expected return was 9.50%
at the end of 2000 and fell to 6.90% at the end of 2017.”

This is the eighteenth corporate funding report issued by Wilshire
Consulting, the institutional investment advisory and outsourced-CIO
business unit of Wilshire Associates Incorporated (Wilshire®), a
diversified global financial services firm. Wilshire Consulting assists
in ensuring secure and safe retirements for millions of Americans
including those participating in some of the nation’s largest corporate
and public retirement plans.

To prepare the report, Wilshire Consulting collects data on U.S.
pensions from 10-K filings for companies in the S&P 500 Index at fiscal
year-end. All data for fiscal year 2017 is based on S&P 500 Index
constituents as of year-end 2017 and, therefore, may differ slightly
from the list of companies represented in earlier years.

About Wilshire Consulting

Through its investment consulting services to public and corporate
clients, Wilshire Consulting assists in ensuring secure and safe
retirements for millions of Americans including those participating in
some of the nation’s largest public and corporate retirement plans.
Combined with its endowment, foundation and major insurance company
clients, it consults on combined total assets of nearly $1 trillion.

Wilshire Consulting’s outsourced chief investment officer practice
(OCIO), offers clients a holistic option that is built on our culture of
risk management and our expertise in all areas of investment strategy.
Wilshire Consulting's customized OCIO services include full
discretionary services or implemented services where plans outsource
their back office.

Wilshire Associates, a leading global financial services firm, provides
consulting services, analytics solutions and customized investment
solutions to plan sponsors, investment managers and financial
intermediaries. Its business units include, Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire
Consulting, Wilshire Funds Management and Wilshire Private Markets. The
firm was founded in 1972, providing revolutionary technology and acting
as an early innovator in the application of investment analytics and
research to investment managers in the institutional marketplace.
Wilshire also is credited with helping to develop the field of
quantitative investment analysis that uses mathematical tools to analyze
market risks. All other business units evolved from Wilshire’s strong
analytics foundation. Wilshire developed the Wilshire 5000 Total Market
Index and became an early innovator in creating integrated
asset/liability analysis/simulation models as well as practical models
in risk budgeting through beta and active risk analysis. Wilshire has
grown to a firm of approximately 275 employees serving the needs of
investors around the world. Based in Santa Monica, California, Wilshire
provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing more
than 500 organizations with assets totaling approximately US $8
trillion.* With ten offices worldwide, Wilshire Associates and its
affiliates are dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality
counsel, products and services. Wilshire® and Wilshire 5000® are
registered service marks of Wilshire Associates Incorporated. Wilshire
5000 Total Market Index℠ is a service mark of Wilshire Associates
Incorporated.

*Client assets are as represented by Pensions & Investments (P&I),
detailed in P&I’s “Largest Retirement Funds” and P&I’s “Largest Money
Managers (U.S. institutional tax-exempt assets)” as of 9/30/17 and
12/31/17, and published 2/5/18 and 5/28/18, respectively.The data
in this release are copyrighted and owned by Wilshire Associates
Incorporated.